This invention is directed generally to a recorder for printing various types of signals as analog data on recording paper, and is directed more particularly to a recorder having a scale recording device.
Conventional recorders print various types of analog voltage signals as waveforms on recording paper having graduation lines preprinted on it. Such recording paper, however is generally limited to patterns of graduation lines with the same scale, the same minimum value (such as 0%), and the same maximum value (such as 100%). Consequently, if one needs to use several different graduation line patterns with such conventional recorders, one needs to use several different types of recording paper. In addition when one changes the minimum or maximum of the scale with conventional recorders, one must also change the recording paper to obtain the desired pattern of graduation lines.
In recent years, various developers have proposed recorders equipped with elements such as thermal heads to record graduation lines, including both vertical and horizontal axes, on recording paper. Using such conventional recorders, a user selects one of several stored graduation lines patterns to be printed automatically on blank white recording paper.
The conventional recorders that automatically print stored graduation lines, however, are generally limited to a fixed number of graduation patterns. In addition, altering the scale minima or maxima requires selecting a new pattern of graduation lines, which complicates the operation of such recorders.
Thus, conventional recorders are not only unable to print suitable graduation lines for all the scale minimum and maximum values, they are also limited in the ease of altering the scale minimum and maximum.